Durban
Durban is the second largest seaport in South Africa. The population of Durban, together with the suburbs, is 2.5 million people. Warm waters of the ocean and wonderful beaches with golden sand have made Durban a world-class resort. The swimming season lasts all year round, sea baths can be taken in complete safety, as there are special nets against sharks along the beaches. We promise you 320 sunny days a year, +30 degrees from January to March and +20 in winter – from June to August.
According to Agooddir, the city is divided into two parts: the old Durban with ancient buildings, the Indian quarter, shopping centers and restaurants, and the new Durban, located along the ocean, with a promenade on which, like mushrooms after rain, multi-storey hotels made of glass and concrete grow. The tourism industry of South Africa arose and developed exclusively for the needs of the white population, which focused it mainly on elite clients. This trend in the country continues to this day. What is it that irresistibly attracts tourists to South Africa? A world of exciting discoveries, unlimited leisure opportunities, picturesque landscapes, warm hospitality and a climate like no other.
In old Durban, it is worth seeing St. Paul’s Church. Built in 1853, it is the first Anglican church in KwaZulu-Natal. Nearby is a beautiful old building, where today there is a post office, and a hundred years ago the city hall was located, in which in 1899 Winston Churchill, who was a war correspondent during the Boer War, delivered a speech. In the city hall building in 1908 a historic document was signed – a convention on the unification of individual colonies into the Union of South Africa.
If you want to know what animals lived and live in Africa, visit the National Museum of Natural History, where you can see fossilized dinosaur bones and a very large collection of insects. Next to the museum is the Center for African Art – a permanent exhibition and sale of national Zulu products. By the way, the town of Ulundi, neighboring Durban, is the place of residence of the Zulu king.
In the same place, in the Center, you can buy an excursion to a real Zulu village, the obligatory point of the program of which is a visit to the village shaman, who is both a healer, a soothsayer, and a sorcerer. During the tour, you can watch the ritual dance of the Zulu warriors.
Almost from the very foundation of the city, Indians have lived in Durban. To feel the atmosphere of the East, you should go to the Indian quarter. One of its main attractions is the largest mosque in the southern hemisphere. Of course, there is also a bazaar where you can buy everything – African and Indian souvenirs, jewelry, exotic fish, but, as elsewhere in the East, do not forget to bargain.
For lovers of exotic animals, Durban has the Fitzsimons Reptile Park. Only there you can see different types of snakes, scorpions and spiders.
National parks of KwaZulu-Natal
If you prefer an active holiday, then from Durban you can go to the Dragon Mountains, or Drakensberg, where, according to Zulu legends, a mysterious monster lives. The Dragon Mountains are almost a monolithic basalt wall almost 250 km long, the highest point is Mount Tkabana-Ntlenyana, its height is 3482 m. Not only tourists, but also locals come there to breathe in the cool mountain air.
In the east of the country, almost on the border with Swaziland, there is the famous Umfoloczi National Park with an area of more than fifty hectares and almost the same Hluhluwe Park. There you can see rhinos, lions, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, buffaloes in their natural habitat.
Another famous park in the province is Maputaland. It lies in a remote area between the Lebombo Mountains to the west, Mozambique to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and the mouth of the Mfolozi River to the south. Its area is 900 thousand square meters. km. The park is located at the junction of tropical and subtropical climatic zones. Therefore, several ecosystems are represented there at once – dry and wet savannah, river delta and tropical forest. See the world’s tallest dunes in Maputaland.
Sun City
Sun City is a world-class entertainment complex offering a lot of entertainment: slot machines, the most luxurious casino in South Africa, swimming in the clear waters of the Wave Valley, a 750-meter artificial lake with water sports, golf courses designed by the famous Harry Player, bowling, a dizzying descent from the “Temple of Courage”, walks along the “Bridge of Time”, which is decorated with life-size figures of elephants and where an earthquake is simulated every hour.
The history of the city dates back to 1977, about 200 km. from Johannesburg, in the middle of a desert plain, by the hands of talented architects and decorators from all over the world, on an area of 150 sq. km. artificial rocks and tropical forests, lakes and waterfalls were created – a real oasis – the famous complex of Sun City (Sun City) and Post City (Lost City).
An excellent excursion program will be offered to tourists visiting this unique place. Your eyes will see the Palace, which is called the eighth wonder of the world for the splendor of architecture and luxury decoration. The palace is surrounded by a tropical forest with about one and a half million exotic plants, including giant baobab trees brought from the Zimbabwean border. A huge number of waterfalls and fountains with beautiful sculptural compositions, a cascade of pools and “ruins of ancient temples” – all this creates an indescribable feeling of contact with a fairy tale.
Attractions – Most often, tourists come to Sun City for entertainment. In the artificial lagoon – “Valley of Waves” you can compete with the ocean wave, arrange a surf race along artificial channels, fly on a parachute and swim in artificial lakes in the Water World park, play in a casino, watch a show, go on a safari. It will be especially pleasant to get lost in the Lost City with the “Palace Hotel”, built in an oriental style and striking with hand-finished interiors.
Pilanesberg National Park A 20-minute drive from Sun City is one of the 16 National Parks of South Africa – Pilanesberg, which is unique in that in 1979 a project for the resettlement of wild animals from other parts of the country began on its territory – the most ambitious since the days of Noah’s Ark. Over 6,000 wild animals have been brought to Pilanesberg, including the “big five” elephant, lion, rhinoceros, buffalo and leopard. The park is located on the territory of the crater of a volcano, active more than a million years ago. The nature of the reserve is amazingly picturesque: bizarre rock forms overgrown with flowering shrubs, lakes and gently sloping hills stretching to the horizon create a mood of peace and tranquility. And meeting with a variety of wild animals will give you the opportunity to feel the uniqueness of your stay in Africa.
